can't they just exchange it for another giraffe to create more dna diversity? i guess space is limited but having 2 giraffes or 3 seems like a minor issue. also wtf are they breeding them if they already have too many?

fusillade762:After a necropsy, the giraffe was dismembered in front of an audience that included children and fed to the zoo's lions, tigers and leopards.

That seems... inappropriate.

The audience was there by choice and the parents gave permission for their children to be there. I read in some article that in most cases, it was the kids who brought the parents, not the other way around, and that the kids asked some surprisingly good questions. Bear in mind these are Danish kids, not American snowflakes. There's a big difference.

Now, the killing of the giraffe, well, I think there probably was a better way to handle the situation.

First of all, what is it with these reporters and absolutely ignoring facts? It's about making a healthy population, they need to remove redundant males to avoid inbreeding, the can't exchange these animals, as it is part of the agreement amongst the breeders, who gets what and when.

Regarding the children, while we do have a go at becoming helicopter parents, we are nowhere near the US; we understand that there is education in watching a giraffe (or any other animal) getting dissected, (back when I was in kindergarden we went and watched a hen get its head chopped off and we pulled the feathers afterwards).

Also, didn't NY just talk about killing off some 2000 swans? Where are the riots? That is our farking national bird! We should be declaring war on the US for that!

Count me among those who don't understand why they just can't neuter it. I heard the guy who shot the other giraffe describe how it went down. They offered Marcus (the giraffe) rye bread. Marcus loved rye bread, but when Marcus ate the bread this time, blam, right in the head and he's dead.

Upon explaining his death to his relatives zookeepers just kept saying that they were afraid he might fark his sister.

I guess it's good that the lions got some variety in their diets, but think of the money that could be made if it were served to people. I know I'd pay a premium just to see what giraffe tastes like even though I imagine it's not that great.

Really, giraffes are so farking important that you should put it through a dangerous procedure, have it take up place from another useful giraffe for the breeding program and feed it for the rest of its life. And of course kill a cow in lieu, because you know, fark cows, and the lions still have to eat.

What I find wrong with this whole fiasco is your can't kill animals you name. This is a giraffe that is part of human society, and signed the pact as part of civilization that he gets to not live without the threat of steak.

It's not like Denmark is knee deep in giraffes, and he could not be found a good home. I wonder if you could even get away with this in the US. We may toss the Constitution under the bus for "enemy combatants" but a giraffe would have a team of lawyers and due process in the USA because farking giraffes.

gfid:Count me among those who don't understand why they just can't neuter it. I heard the guy who shot the other giraffe describe how it went down. They offered Marcus (the giraffe) rye bread. Marcus loved rye bread, but when Marcus ate the bread this time, blam, right in the head and he's dead.

Upon explaining his death to his relatives zookeepers just kept saying that they were afraid he might fark his sister.

NickelP:can't they just exchange it for another giraffe to create more dna diversity? i guess space is limited but having 2 giraffes or 3 seems like a minor issue. also wtf are they breeding them if they already have too many?

They do exchange giraffes to create more DNA diversity. Those giraffes are selected for the best diversity, this one is considered less optimal, ie. more inbreed.

They're not breeding giraffes. They're not pandas. If you leave male and female giraffes around each other, they'll breed by themselves.

xria:<strong><a href="http://www.fark.com/comments/8142139/89268276#c89268276" target="_blank">fusillade762</a>:</strong> <em>After a necropsy, the giraffe was dismembered in front of an audience that included children and fed to the zoo's lions, tigers and leopards.

That seems... inappropriate.</em>

Would it also be inappropriate for children to watch their mothers cooking, or feeding a pet cat?

Google turns this article up: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/09/why-copenhagen-zoo-kille d -marius-giraffe that states the mother could have been given contraceptives, preventing Marius. But, neutering him would have required sedation, and giraffes falling tend to break their necks and would need to get put down anyway. So...another case for birth control?

I dunno, if they had been really motivated, couldn't they have put a sling under him and held it up by a crane to do the procedure and then release him when the sedation had worn off? It seems like for whatever reason they didn't want to bother too much, which is odd because you'd think more giraffes = better attraction.

NickelP:can't they just exchange it for another giraffe to create more dna diversity? i guess space is limited but having 2 giraffes or 3 seems like a minor issue. also wtf are they breeding them if they already have too many?

Because by modern ethical standards they haven't been able to acquire a giraffe in 50 years or so.

Therefore the entire giraffe population in the zoo world (the public, ethically run ones anyway) are from the same limited gene pool.

First of all, what is it with these reporters and absolutely ignoring facts? It's about making a healthy population, they need to remove redundant males to avoid inbreeding, the can't exchange these animals, as it is part of the agreement amongst the breeders, who gets what and when.

Regarding the children, while we do have a go at becoming helicopter parents, we are nowhere near the US; we understand that there is education in watching a giraffe (or any other animal) getting dissected, (back when I was in kindergarden we went and watched a hen get its head chopped off and we pulled the feathers afterwards).

Also, didn't NY just talk about killing off some 2000 swans? Where are the riots? That is our farking national bird! We should be declaring war on the US for that!

MagicMissile:( maybe they could just take it back to Africa or wherever its from, and let it go? )

That might make too much sense. I know sometimes animals born in captivity are not released into the wild because they haven't learned to fend for themselves, but the giraffe probably can raise its head and chew a few leaves.

Yeah, I'm sure it's expensive to own a giraffe. I bet a kickstarter project to send the giraffe back to Africa would have earned more than enough to cover expenses.

gfid:MagicMissile: ( maybe they could just take it back to Africa or wherever its from, and let it go? )

That might make too much sense. I know sometimes animals born in captivity are not released into the wild because they haven't learned to fend for themselves, but the giraffe probably can raise its head and chew a few leaves.

Yeah, I'm sure it's expensive to own a giraffe. I bet a kickstarter project to send the giraffe back to Africa would have earned more than enough to cover expenses.

Why don't you start one then?

It hasn't been offed yet.

Though you probably need to work out how much it would actually cost.

From Wiki it seems they're not really heard animals, so yeah, if you want to spend a ton of money on sending a giraffe to Africa, vs., something useful. Knock yourself out.

Radak:fusillade762: After a necropsy, the giraffe was dismembered in front of an audience that included children and fed to the zoo's lions, tigers and leopards.

That seems... inappropriate.

The audience was there by choice and the parents gave permission for their children to be there. I read in some article that in most cases, it was the kids who brought the parents, not the other way around, and that the kids asked some surprisingly good questions. Bear in mind these are Danish kids, not American snowflakes. There's a big difference.

Now, the killing of the giraffe, well, I think there probably was a better way to handle the situation.

I got it.

Alright! I'm going to need a hammer and a tall ladder. If you can't find the ladder, just bring me a chain saw.

Witness99: And why can't they give the giraffes to some eccentric, Russian billionaire who will make them the mascots of the Sochi Olympics?

Well, that part I can actually give a true, though somewhat boring explaination for: Recently, a local zoo (as in a small one with no lions and other super exotics, but slightly bigger than a petting zoo) was circling the bankruptcy drain and had started looking for other zoos that would be able to take in some of their animals. They received a lot calls from private citizens who wanted to adopt a parrot or some other animal. They're not legally allowed to do that, as zoo animals have a special status that means it's either another zoo, or being put down, they can't be transfered to private ownership.

Why neuter it? They have limited space, they have an overpopulation of giraffes, and they could use the meat for the carnivorous animals.

Also, WGAS what a zoo wants to do with its giraffe. They're biologists and zoologists, they know what they're doing. No one complains when pigs are killed for food, why do so many people get in an uproar over a giraffe? Is it because they're not native to your country?